This invention relates generally to a combination shipping and storage container and more particularly to a new and novel container which is designed to handle heavy weights up to and over 2500 pounds with portions of the container being reusable.
In the shipment of large quantities and heavy amounts of bulk products, such as polyethylene pellets, it is necessary that the bulk container be designed to be able to be easily moved with materials handling equipment and to be stacked two or more high in a warehouse storage space without damage to the container and without bulge distortion or collapsing of the container. In order to construct a sufficiently strong container designed to contain all of the structural strengths required and to contain the product, it is necessary to resort to very expensive corrugated packages consisting of multi-layer or multi-wall thicknesses as known in the prior art. Such packages are, of course, expensive and once they have been set up or erected in a shipping condition, generally cannot be reused thereby resulting in excessive expenses to the purchaser of the package.
Pertinent prior art containers which should be considered by the Examiner in the examination of this application are cited below as follows:
______________________________________ Patent No. Inventor Issue Date ______________________________________ 2,354,239 Williamson July 25, 1944 2,722,363 Schaller November 1, 1955 2,916,992 Welsh December 15, 1959 3,583,626 Overton et al June 8, 1971 3,606,969 Voytko September 21, 1971 2,681,526 Barney June 22, 1954 3,715,072 Muskopf et al February 6, 1973 ______________________________________
These patents will be discussed briefly and distinguished in the following section after a short discussion of the applicant's invention.